iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max owners report speaker crackling
Some owners of iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are complaining about strange clicking, popping, and crackling sounds coming from the speakers.
Users most often point to the top earpiece speaker. Clicking sounds have also been noted when switching apps, opening the keyboard, receiving notifications, using voice input, and during regular phone calls. At the same time, for some owners, music playback remains normal.
The issue does not manifest on all devices and does not yet appear to be widespread. The cause is also unknown. Some owners have exchanged their smartphones for new ones, but encountered the same sounds on the replacement iPhone, so a software bug cannot be ruled out.
Individual complaints from owners of previous-generation iPhones regarding similar distortions and crackling sounds after updating to iOS 27 indirectly point to a possible connection with the software. However, there is no confirmation that all these cases involve the same malfunction.
The iOS 27.0.1 update released on September 28 did not fix the situation, according to user feedback. The update addressed several other bugs, including iPhone 18 Pro reboots following Face ID failures, camera issues, and touchscreen freezing, but audio fixes were not mentioned in the changelog. Apple has not yet publicly commented on the complaints regarding the iPhone 18 Pro speakers.
